Glossary · Document and evidence governance
Documentation latency
In safety documentation, documentation latency is the delay between a change in machine reality and the corresponding update, approval and availability of documentation. During that time, users work with information that no longer matches the machine.
- Technical documentation
- Compliance
In one sentence
Documentation latency is the time during which documentation lags behind a changed machine, and users rely on information that no longer fits.
Example
A new gripper is installed in a robot cell on Monday, but the revised maintenance instructions with its clamping-force warning reach the shop floor three weeks later.
How it applies
- Machine safety: For safety-critical information, latency is a risk in its own right. If documentation cannot be updated before the change takes effect, provide interim information, for example a temporary instruction at the machine.
- Technical documentation: Measure latency per change: from engineering release to published documentation. Long or unpredictable latency points to manual handoffs and missing triggers.
- Integrated systems: Software updates and parameter changes can alter behavior without any visible hardware change. Link them to documentation triggers in change control.
- Evidence: Record when each revision became available at the point of use, not only when it was approved.
Documentation latency vs. data latency
In control systems, latency is the delay of a signal or message and is measured in milliseconds. Documentation latency is the delay of human-readable information and is measured in days or weeks. Both make users or functions act on outdated data; the breakdown into steps is the documentation latency chain.